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People who are overweight have a greater chance of being misdiagnosed with asthma, due to shortness of breath and other problems that can be caused by carrying around extra weight, a new study says. Researchers found as many as 60% of overweight people diagnosed with asthma did not actually have the condition.

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More than half of asthma patients report experiencing symptoms at least once per week, even though two-thirds of respondents say they have their condition under control, according to a survey. Researchers stress a better standard of control for managing asthma, including better education on how to control symptoms.

While many Hurricane Katrina evacuees' medical records were lost in the storm and doctors in other cities had no information on their medical histories, veterans' records were easily pulled up, due to the Veterans Affairs' highly acclaimed digital records system. Some government officials see the system as a model for the rest of the country, but cost and a lack of industrywide standards are considered big obstacles in the private sector.

A Netherlands study says sildenafil, also known as Viagra, may help all patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease deal with potentially dangerous pulmonary arterial blood pressure increases. Pulmonary blood pressure spike is one of the complications that affects COPD patients.

The Franklin Community Health Network in Maine is expected to be among the first networks in the country to offer communitywide e-prescribing. The network last year received a grant to implement the system, which will allow providers to send prescriptions directly to area pharmacies.

A Merck official says the recommendation by a federal health committee that those 60 and older get shingles vaccinations should open doors for the use of Merck's Zostavax vaccine. The endorsement is likely to increase the number of health plans that offer insurance coverage for the vaccine, he said.